In his mind, C.J. Mosley can see the Jets, late in the fourth quarter of a meaningful football game, looking into each other’s eyes. In that moment, he thinks, they will understand what got them that far and why, and they will lean on that knowledge to seize what’s in front of them.
It is a dream that feels about as far off as playoff football at MetLife Stadium. But Mosley believes in both.
Mosley made headlines in June by saying it’s playoffs or bust for the Jets, who are widely expected to fall short of contention for the 12th straight season. Now, with just a couple of weeks to go until talk must turn to action, the linebacker isn’t turning back.
“I still feel the exact same,” Mosley said Wednesday following practice.
Mosley has been to the NFL playoffs with Baltimore and he won back-to-back national titles in college with Alabama. So he has experienced those kinds of fourth quarters before, and he knows what it takes to get through them intact.
In these Jets, he sees a closeness that might set them apart.
“The reasons why [teammates are] doing the things that they’re doing after practice, during meetings, studying and all those little things play a factor when you have a bunch of guys that can be really close together like that,” Mosley said. “I think our unity and our family really is a big difference to what I’ve seen in the past.”
It is still August, and no one — at least outside of the walls of the team’s facility — believes the Jets are close to challenging for the playoffs. Most fans would merely be happy to see progress, in whatever form it takes.
Yet the Jets do have some standout players on defense: Mosley, first-round pick Sauce Gardner at corner and a healthy Carl Lawson at defensive end.
“The sky’s the limit,” Lawson said of the defensive line.
“We just have to go out there and execute.”
The Jets ranked 32nd in total defense in 2021, so yes, that does feel a bit ambitious, even with the unit’s obvious improvements.
Still, Mosley didn’t seize the opportunity Wednesday to hedge his prior statements. He believes, even if no one else does.
“We still have to make sure we’re doing the things we have to do to get better every day,” Mosley said. “Obviously in these preseason games, there’s been a lot to learn, there’s been a lot to take away from it. And when we come back in practice and get ready for tomorrow, we just have to keep trying to get better and sharpening our craft.
“It’s a long road to the playoffs, so we just have to take it day by day.”
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